This invention relates to the field of television viewing and Internet usage and more specifically to an apparatus for the integration of television signals and information from an information service provider.
Television viewing is something of a national past time. The vast majority of this nation spend many hours in front of the television watching the latest offerings from the major networks as well as a plethora of cable channels. These programs can be a source of news, they can be educational, or they can be a source of escapist fun. Unfortunately, due to the passive nature of television, the viewer is left to sit and stare at the television without being able to interact with the program being viewed.
The Internet and especially the part of the Internet known as the world wide web has seen tremendous growth in recent years. An outgrowth of ARPANET, a network founded in 1971 to allow defense researchers to share information, several million computers now comprise what is known as the Internet. Surf the web has become a type of battle cry for the computer savvy generation of today. For many of these computerphiles, accessing the world wide web has replaced television as a favorite diversion. The Internet, and in particularly the world wide web, offers the advantage of being more interactive. Web pages offer a hypertext environment such that a user can jump from one subject to the next, exploring and learning information at his or her own pace. The major broadcast and cable networks are not unaware to this medium and have launched Internet sites to enhance their television coverage. For example, during the past election the major networks not only had live broadcast coverage but also had additional information available on their web site. The draw back to this approach is that when a typical user is on the web, he or she is not watching television and therefore can not experience both mediums at the same time. Also, while the Internet provides a more interactive environment, it can""t compete with the video capabilities of television.
From the foregoing, it may be appreciated that a need has arisen for an apparatus that integrates television signals and information from an information service provider so that both can be accessed simultaneously. In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus for the integration of television signals and information from an information service provider is provided which substantially eliminates or reduces disadvantages and problems associated with prior television and Internet access means.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention an apparatus is disclosed for the integration of television signals and information from an information service provider. The apparatus includes a television platform that has a bidirectional connection capable of sending information to the television platform and transmitting data from the television platform to an information service provider. Additionally, a tuner/decoder system connected to the television platform is provided which can receive, tune and decode television signals. An audio/video overlay system connected to the television platform is provided to combine displays from the television platform and television signals from the tuner/decoder system. Finally, a video/audio output sends the combined information and television signals to a television monitor.
The present invention provides various technical advantages over conventional television viewing and conventional Internet accessing. For example, one technical advantage is to provide an apparatus for the integration of television signals and Internet data that allows simultaneous viewing of television and access to the Internet. Another technical advantage is the ability to correspond television channels with specific Internet sites and even specific programs with specific Internet sites. Other technical advantages are readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, description, and claims.